[duegatti]

I'm tired and stressed (ailing cat), and I'm looking at the Porsche charger and the battery clamp adapter and . . . WTF? I see nothing in the instruction booklets - how does this connection get made? WTF is the red plastic piece on the end of the charger plug? Do I use it? Do I remove it? Right now, it's stuck in the female socket of the battery clamp connector. Could the Italians make this any more needlessly obtuse, fragile, and complex?

I'm going to look at the CTEK website, if there even is such a thing.

Thanks for any help.

 

[JazzCatGab]

Duegatti, are you planning on using the battery clamps, attached in the frunk, or are you going to use the lighter plug in the cabin of your car?


For the clamps:
http://www.porscheownersmanuals.com...ry?m=17&s=Battery,+Charging+the+battery+pg.65

 

[duegatti]

I would like to know how to do both of those things. Can we have separate discussions about the two different connections, if that is necessary?

 

[Viffermike]

The Owners Manual link that @JazzCatGab supplied is great for direct connection to the battery; you shouldn't even have to remove the plastic panel that covers the battery to hook it up.

However, if you're trickle charging the car, go ahead and use the 12V connection in the passenger footwell. Info on this is on Pgs. 101-102 of the Owners Manual here.

BTW: CTEK is a Swedish company, not Italian. Its web site here is actually quite good. The Porsche-branded charger is basically a MUS 4.3 model. Its owners manual (.pdf) is at this link.

If you're using clamps, just remember this:
Positive, Negative, Wall to connect; reverse to disconnect.

IOW:
- Connect the positive (red) clamp to the battery's positive (red) terminal
- Then, connect the negative (black) clamp directly to bare metal on the frame of the car (use the recmmendation in the Porsche manual)
- Then, plug the charger into the wall.
Reverse that order to disconnect the charger.

 

[duegatti]

Thanks to all, but I have not made myself clear. For example, I meant could the Italians, given a chance, choose to produce a charger, etc., etc. I knew that CTEK was not Italian.

More significantly, I've been unclear about the focus of my confusion. I am familiar with 12V outlet and battery clamp charging. My question and problem focuses on the removable red plastic collar that comes on the male CTEK plug. Do I leave this in place when I use it? Do I remove it? Does the answer depend on whether I am mating to a 12V outlet, or mating to the battery clamp extension?

What is the purpose of the removable red plastic collar on the male CTEK plug? It looks to me like it is blocking the electrical contacts that are forbidden on page 101 of our cars' owners manual. Would it then be necessary, or advisable, to leave that collar in place when using the 12V socket? Does it matter whether it is in place when one attaches the battery clamp extender?

That's my problem. Many thanks.

 

[JazzCatGab]

You use only one of the two methods, and either just the clamps or the 12v plug. Of the two methods, clamps or 12v plug, the plug is probably the easiest, but if it doesn't look right compared to the drawings on the page that Viffermike gave you for checking the plug on Pgs. 101-102 of the Owners Manual here, then don't use that method. Open up the fronk and use the clamps as described in the link I gave you, one clamp on the positive terminal and the other on that body connection with the sticker that says to put the negative cable there.


Good luck,

 

[duegatti]

I'm still not getting through. The point is not what the two charging methods are, or which one I am choosing to use. The points are:

1) If I choose to charge with the clamps, what do I do with the f***ing red plastic collar on the male CTEK plug?

and

2) If I choose to charge with the 12V, what do I do with the f***ing red plastic collar on the male CTEK plug?

For reference, here are two pictures of the f***ing red plastic collar, one attached to the male CTEK plug, one loose.

 

[ArchiProf]

An adapter to fit two different size ports?

 

[JakiChan]

I'm still not getting through. The point is not what the two charging methods are, or which one I am choosing to use. The points are:

1) If I choose to charge with the clamps, what do I do with the f***ing red plastic collar on the male CTEK plug?

and

2) If I choose to charge with the 12V, what do I do with the f***ing red plastic collar on the male CTEK plug?

For reference, here are two pictures of the f***ing red plastic collar, one attached to the male CTEK plug, one loose.

I don't have the CTEK-branded charger. I bought the Porsche one. To get the plug to stay in my passenger footwell 12v outlet I needed to put the red plastic thingie on.

 

[Semitone]

Finally I think I can add something!!

The red adapter cap is used so that the charging unit can be plugged into 2 different styles of 12v outlets. The red cap goes on the unit if you plan on plugging it into your car.

Ok..so you look at the plug, remove the red adapter and say "WTF...I've NEVER seen any 12V outlet that looks like this! Nonsense." Well I actually have a 12V outlet that it fits. Twenty years ago I had a boat built in Sweden and it came we the smaller, unusual looking 12V plug. Even then, the Swedes put in a separate conventional 12V plug and said. "Don't worry about that first one, no one uses them."

 

[duegatti]

Outstanding. For further clarification, let me reinforce that I have the Porsche charger. I began referring to the CTEK plug when it was pointed out that they are the manufacturer.

There is one last leg of our journey remaining. When one uses the battery clamp adapter/extension, the female socket of which is shown in my pictures, does one use the red plastic collar, or does one remove the red plastic collar?

Many thanks.

 

[duegatti]

Okay, let's back up a little bit and try this:

Does anyone use either the Porsche branded charger or the corresponding CTEK branded charger to charge their cars at the battery with the battery clamp extension/adapter?

Anyone?

 

[Optical TDI]

The Owners Manual link that @JazzCatGab supplied is great for direct connection to the battery; you shouldn't even have to remove the plastic panel that covers the battery to hook it up.

However, if you're trickle charging the car, go ahead and use the 12V connection in the passenger footwell. Info on this is on Pgs. 101-102 of the Owners Manual here.

BTW: CTEK is a Swedish company, not Italian. Its web site here is actually quite good. The Porsche-branded charger is basically a MUS 4.3 model. Its owners manual (.pdf) is at this link.

If you're using clamps, just remember this:
Positive, Negative, Wall to connect; reverse to disconnect.

IOW:
- Connect the positive (red) clamp to the battery's positive (red) terminal
- Then, connect the negative (black) clamp directly to bare metal on the frame of the car (use the recmmendation in the Porsche manual)
- Then, plug the charger into the wall.
Reverse that order to disconnect the charger.

For trickle charging, curious to why it's not recommended to use the clamps on the positive and negative terminals vs. the bare metal on frame of car. Thanks.

 

[duegatti]

Nobody uses a Porsche or CTEK plus clamps to charge their battery?

 

[CaymanMatt]

Nobody uses a Porsche or CTEK plus clamps to charge their battery?

I do not use the clamps. I connect directly using the M6 Comfort Connect with the extension so I can keep the charger unit on the wall.

 

[duegatti]

Now the female socket on the M6 Comfort Connect appears to me, from the pictures, to not be round, and therefore would not attach to the round male plug on my Porsche/CTEK charger.

What charger do you have? What kind of plug does it have? Is it a round plug with a red plastic collar, which could potentially fit into a 12v socket?

 

[Viffermike]

For trickle charging, curious to why it's not recommended to use the clamps on the positive and negative terminals vs. the bare metal on frame of car. Thanks.

I don't know for sure since it's been common practice for decades to have a choice between one or the other. If I had to speculate now as to why it's recommended to use a frame ground over the negative battery terminal, it's to lessen the potential for 'bad things' to happen, particularly with new-tech batteries. Simply put, a passive ground is far 'safer' than a potentially active one -- and if a short happens, it potentially damages less.

 

[CaymanMatt]

For trickle charging, curious to why it's not recommended to use the clamps on the positive and negative terminals vs. the bare metal on frame of car. Thanks.

I don't know for sure since it's been common practice for decades to have a choice between one or the other. If I had to speculate now as to why it's recommended to use a frame ground over the negative battery terminal, it's to lessen the potential for 'bad things' to happen, particularly with new-tech batteries. Simply put, a passive ground is far 'safer' than a potentially active one -- and if a short happens, it potentially damages less.

Connecting to the ground point rather than battery negative terminal removes the potential for a spark to a point distant from the explosive battery fumes. That's why the last connection when jumping a car is to the negative ground point of the hot car.
When connecting a trickle charger, connect both ends solidly to the battery, then plug it in.

 

[Viffermike]

When connecting a trickle charger, connect both ends solidly to the battery, then plug it in.

This contradicts what is recommended by:
- Porsche
- BMW
- Lexus
- CTEK
in its owners manuals. All of the above specifically state to use a frame ground for the negative clamp, NOT the negative terminal of the battery.

I have to think there is a very, very good reason for this -- particularly since it's not just the car manufacturers who do this, but also a smart/trickle charger manufacturer, too.

 

[trusted]

This contradicts what is recommended by:
- Porsche
- BMW
- Lexus
- CTEK
in its owners manuals. All of the above specifically state to use a frame ground for the negative clamp, NOT the negative terminal of the battery.

I have to think there is a very, very good reason for this -- particularly since it's not just the car manufacturers who do this, but also a smart/trickle charger manufacturer, too.

No reason not to follow the manual but I think it's more a CYA. They don't want to get sued. In reality it's totally fine to connect the adapter clamps to the battery. A healthy battery will be no issue whatsoever. The likelihood of a unhealthy battery emitting enough hydrogen for a explosion is like getting struck by lightning. It happens but I worry about other things.
I give you another example. I got my aluminum look gas cap this weekend. The instructions literally say: May only be assembled by an authorized Porsche partner. The gas cap! That made me laugh...